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West of England Joint Local Transport Plan 3 Progress Report 2014/15

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In the Joint Local Transport Plan 3 (JLTP3) we said that we would produce an annual report on progress made in delivering transport improvements. This report outlines what we spent in 2014/15 and how we performed against our targets and indicators. To give a flavour of the types of schemes and measures delivered during 2014/15 photographs are included throughout this report.

In late 2011 the Department for Transport (DfT) agreed to make available £135m towards the cost of five major schemes in the West of England. In 2014/15 we continued to focus our efforts on progressing delivery of these substantial infrastructure projects

The majority of the Package has been completed, including two Park & Ride expansions. The Newbridge site was finished March in 2015. The Package includes High Street and on-street works and pedestrian improvements in the Lower Borough Walls area. The overall scheme will be substantially complete by December 2015.

The Weston Package was completed ahead of programme and under budget in February 2014.

Right The Lansdown Park and Ride site expanded as part of the Bath Transportation Package

1. Introduction

2. Major schemes

Bath Transportation Package

Weston Package

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Ashton Vale to Temple Meads The Department for Transport gave their Full Approval to the scheme in September 2014. Advanced ecological works were completed by October 2014 alongside vegetation clearance. Construction work started in February 2015.

North Fringe to Hengrove Package The application for Full Approval was submitted to the Department for Transport in November 2014 and confirmation of funding received in March 2015. The advanced works package at Stapleton allotments for the MetroBus only junction on the M32 was delayed by protestors occupying the site but these have now been completed. No allotments were lost and the project will be undertaking a substantial replanting programme. The main construction work will commence from July/August 2015 and last for two years. Above and below Construction work for the Stoke Gifford Transport Link which is part of the North Fringe to Hengrove MetroBus scheme

MetroBus

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South Bristol Link Full Approval from the Department of Transport was secured in January 2015. Formal land acquisition commenced after Full Approval. Construction of the main highway works is now well underway in North Somerset following advanced site clearance and fencing. Construction has also started on the retaining walls and piling for the new underbridge where the South Bristol Link goes underneath the Bristol to Weston-super-Mare railway line.

Below View of the Long Ashton Park and Ride site, showing construction underway for both the South Bristol Link and Ashton Vale to Temple Meads MetroBus schemes

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We also received funding for:

Better Bus Area Fund 1 Bus measures on the A38 and A420/A431 are nearing completion (June 2015). A claim we submitted to the Department for Transport for Better Bus Area 2 design work is on-going on a number of project schemes.

Cycling Ambition Fund Three schemes are funded by the Cycling Ambition Fund:

1. Cribbs Causeway to Emerson’s Green Trunk Route scheme A new toucan crossing at M32 Junction 1 was completed in March 2015. Improvements at the A4174 Hambrook Crossroads were completed in June 2015.

2. Seven Dials National Cycle Scheme Construction started in February 2015 and completed in July 2015.

3. City Promenade and River Crossings Design work, consultation and procurement is now underway.

Building on this success, a further £19m bid to the Cycle City Ambition Fund was submitted with the focus on linking the Enterprise Zone/Areas in Bristol, the North Fringe and central Bath. On 2 March 2015 it was announced that this bid was one of eight which was successful in securing funds from the £114m pot.

Additional funding

Top Bath NextBike was funded through LSTF Above New toucan crossing at the M32 Junction 1

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The WEST programme was completed in March 2015 and a full grant claim was submitted to the Government. A detailed report on the outcomes from the WEST project and lessons learnt will be reported in October 2015.

Local Sustainable Transport Fund

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Above Posters from the What’s your number? campaign

Above Every day 5,500 people use our BusChecker app

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MetroWest is the West of England project to bring half hourly services to local rail stations and the reopening of the Portishead (Phase 1) and Henbury (Phase 2) lines to passenger services.

Above Artist’s impression of the new railway station at Pill Phase 2 GRIP Stage 1-2 and Preliminary Business Case work was prepared for a Joint Transport Board decision in July 2015 on a single option to take forward to the Outline Business Case and GRIP Stage 3. Regular updates on all the major transport schemes, including MetroWest, is reported to the quarterly meetings of the West of England’s Joint Transport Board.

MetroWest

Major work undertaken during 2014/15 Preliminary Business Case for MetroWest Phase 1 approved in September 2014. Location of Portishead station decided by North Somerset Council in March 2015 following the Office of Rail Regulation statement there are no ‘exceptional circumstances’ for a level crossing at Quays Avenue. Vegetation clearance of the dis-used line between Pill and Portishead for a full topographical survey. MetroWest Phase 1 GRIP Stage 3 and Outline Business Case work was started and will report to the Joint Transport Board in summer 2016. Development Consent Order legal team appointed for Phase 1.

Artist’s impression of the new railway station at Portishead

http://www.westofenglandlep.co.uk/meetings-and-infrastructure/meetings/joint-transport-boardhttp://www.westofenglandlep.co.uk/meetings-and-infrastructure/meetings/joint-transport-board

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During 2014/15 we looked to maximise capital funding from as wide a range of sources as possible. We estimate that almost £72.3m has been spent on capital investment in transport during 2014/15 as shown in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1 Capital spending on transport in 2014/15

Revenue budgets were under severe pressure and limited what we could achieve in the year although the revenue elements of LSTF and Better Bus Area Funding made a valuable contribution to the programmes.

The bulk of the councils’ revenue spending was spent, as in previous years, on highway maintenance and the concessionary bus travel scheme.

£24m

£18.8m

£29.5m DfT Block Grants

Other DfT funding [Major Schemes,LSTF, BBAF]

Other sources [incl Council, developercontributions]

3. Capital spending

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We have five ‘Top Targets’ and five supporting indicators. The targets take account of our successful major scheme bids and funding for the WEST LSTF bid.

Our local target is to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured across the West of England by 2020. We base our targets on the average between 2005 and 2009. This will mean a reduction from 358 to 250 by 2020. Numbers were steadily dropping until a slight increase to 286 between 2011 and 2012 but the figures now look to have stabilised with 283 in 2013 and 277 in 2014. This figure is still well below the trajectory (Figure 4.1). This shows very positive progress although the total of 19 fatalities in 2014 (31 in 2013) is still too high.

Figure 4.1 Road safety target

4. Targets and monitoring

Road safety

Above Portishead to Bristol path upgraded with LSTF

funding

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This target relates to carbon dioxide emissions from road transport and is measured using data supplied by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. This data is a year in arrears so figures are for 2013. Our target is for a 16 per cent reduction in per capita emissions from road transport by 2020 from a 2006 baseline. Figure 4.2 shows that we are well on track to meet the 2020 target.

Figure 4.2 Carbon dioxide emissions target

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Target

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Carbon dioxide emissions

Proposed Old Market Gateway improvements

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The West of England’s Joint Local Transport Plan 3 cycling target uses an annualised Index of Cycling Trips with a base year of 2008/9. Cycling data is recorded as an Annual Average Weekday Total, collected through a network of cycle count sites acting as a proxy for cycling trips across the area as a whole. The aim is to achieve a 76 per cent increase in trips by 2015/16 carrying on the momentum built up by the Cycling City project. Unfortunately, due to technical problems with the cycle counters no data was collected in the Bristol City Council area during 2012/13. New counters have now been installed but the data coverage for 2014/15 is incomplete.

So as with 2013/14 the figures reported for 2014/15 and shown in Figure 4.3 are for the West of England without Bristol. These figures show a healthy 10.7 per cent increase in cycling. Where data is available, Bristol is showing a nine per cent increase on 2012/13. A new target and baseline will be set for 2015/16.

Figure 4.3 Cycling

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Target

Actual

Cycling

Note Figures exclude Bristol

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Top New lighting and sculptures on the Bristol to Bath Railway Path funded through LSTF Above The new cycle and pedestrian path at Easton Way, Bristol

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Following the original rail target for 2019 being met in 2013 a revised target has been set. The Western Route Study, August 2015 predicts a 54 per cent growth in the Greater Bristol area from 2012 to 2023 equivalent to four per cent per year. The 2013 actual figure is thus increased by four per cent a year to provide the new trajectory and a 27 per cent target by 2019. For the first time rail growth in 2014 shows signs of levelling off with a 2.4 per cent fall in passenger numbers (Figure 4.4). Bad weather on the survey day and some issues around surveyors may have had an impact but the trend across the majority of stations is down or static. Figures from the June 2015 count of passengers on the Severn Beach Line confirm this trend.

Figure 4.4 Rail targets

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Original Target

Revised target

Actual

Rail

Above The new shelter at Weston Milton railway station was provided using JLTP funding

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The bus patronage target is based on predicted growth arising from Greater Bristol Bus Network, the Bath Transportation Package, the Weston Package and the Ashton Vale to Bristol City Centre MetroBus scheme. This represents an overall target of over 11 per cent growth between 2008/09 and 2015/16. 2014/15 shows a very healthy 13 per cent growth in passengers up from 54.5m passengers to 61.7m (Figure 4.5). First Bus' lower fares policy will be the main factor behind this. Although LSTF pump primed bus services, the X1 and X3 services have also had a positive impact. It is worth putting this achievement into perspective. Nationally bus passengers fell by 0.6 per cent in 2014/15 whilst in the metropolitan areas they fell by 1.5 per cent.

Bus passengers

Figure 4.5 Bus passenger targets

Stokes Croft Gateway improvements

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We monitor our four supporting indicators using a traffic light system. Green means performance is improving, amber no significant change whilst red means performance is slipping. Progress in 2014/15 is shown in Table 5.1.

Supporting indicator Performance

in 2013/14 and indicator

Maintenance Principal roads

Non principal roads

Congestion (2012/13 data)

Air Quality

Bath

Bristol

Other areas

Bus punctuality Starting on time

On time at intermediate stops

Table 5.1 Supporting indicators The percentage of the principal road network requiring maintenance has fallen marginally from 3.49% to 3.42%. For non-principal roads there has been an encouraging fall from 9.33% to 7.20%. For congestion we rely on information from the DfT and figures for 2013/4, the latest available, show that average traffic speeds were unchanged at 22.7mph compared to a fall of 2.5% to 24.3mph nationally. There are variations across the four authorities. Air quality presents a mixed picture. In the Bristol Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) there was a significant improvement with nitrogen dioxide falling from 45.2 to 40.06 μg/m3 which is just above the ‘objective’ of 40 μg/m3 set in the National Air Quality Strategy.In the Bath AQMA there

was a slight deterioration from 45 to 47 μg/m3 which leaves levels above the National Air Quality Strategy standard. In the West of England’s smaller AQMAs Keynsham was slightly worse, Kingswood was slightly better, Staple Hill unchanged whilst in Saltford all three sites are now above the National Air Quality Standard. Overall bus punctuality was unchanged in 2014/15. Where major construction projects have finished, for example in Weston-super-Mare, there has been a significant improvement in bus punctuality but elsewhere continuing construction and utilities work has caused disruption to local bus services. Insufficient data is now collected for ‘waiting time for frequent services’ so this indicator is deleted.

5. Supporting indicators